Conversion of Human Fibroblasts into Functional Cardiomyocytes by Small Molecules
Investigators showed that cardiomyocyte-like cells can be generated by treating human fibroblasts with a combination of nine compounds (9C). The chemically induced cardiomyocyte-like cells (ciCMs) uniformly contracted and resembled human cardiomyocytes in their transcriptome, epigenetic, and electrophysiological properties. When transplanted into infarcted mouse hearts, 9C-treated fibroblasts were efficiently converted to ciCMs. [Science] Full Article|Press Release

Heat Biologics and OncoSec Present Data
Heat Biologics, Inc. announced that preclinical data from its collaboration with OncoSec Medical Incorporated focused on evaluating the combination of immunotherapy platforms were presented. [Press release from Heat Biologics, Inc. discussing research presented at the 2016 American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting, New Orleans] Press Release

Researchers Push for Personalized Tumor Vaccines
It is precision medicine taken to the extreme: cancer-fighting vaccines that are custom designed for each patient according to the mutations in their individual tumors. With early clinical trials showing promise, that extreme could one day become commonplace — but only if drug developers can scale up and speed up the production of their tailored medicines. [Nature News] Editorial

U.S. And U.K. Universities Announce Binational Postdoc Program
Ph.D. scientists looking for a different kind of PostDoc may wish to consider applying for an unusual new fellowship announced 14 April by the University of Birmingham in the United Kingdom and the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), in the United States. The appointments last 3 years, with the first and third spent at Birmingham and the second at UIUC. Fellows will have a mentor at each institution. [Science] Editorial

Regenerating Blood Vessels Gets $2.7 Million Grant
Biomedical engineers at The University of Texas at Austin have received a three-year, $2.7 million grant from the U.S. Department of Defense to advance a promising treatment that could help millions of people with diabetes affected by peripheral ischemia, a condition that restricts blood flow to muscles in the lower limbs. [The University of Texas at Austin] Press Release

First Gene Therapy Successful Against Human Aging
The 44 year-old CEO of BioViva USA Inc. Elizabeth Parrish received two of her own company’s experimental gene therapies: one to protect against loss of muscle mass with age, another to battle stem cell depletion responsible for diverse age-related diseases and infirmities. [BioViva USA Inc.] Press Release

University of Wisconsin and Harvard Scientists Receive Awards from ASNTR
ASNTR awarded The 2016 Bernard Sanberg Memorial Award for Brain Repair to Marina E. Emborg, MD, PhD, an associate professor of medical physics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. ASNTR also presented The Molly and Bernard Sanberg Memorial Award to Eng H. Lo, PhD, professor of neurology and radiology at Harvard University and Massachusetts General Hospital. [University of South Florida (EurkeAlet!)] Press Release